Kind hearted donors have given a huge boost to the devastated family of a teenager who died at a controversial nightclub.

A target of £2,500 set by a friend of Michael Trueman to help his parents with funeral costs has reached nearly double the amount.

Michael, 19, was understood to have taken MDMA at the Rainbow Venues, off Lower Trinity Street in Digbeth, at a Halloween event on October 29.

Sadly, he died in hospital the next day.

Family and friends paid tribute to the much-loved student with a funeral and wake on November 24.

Bradley Dugmore, a friend of Michael’s set the JustGiving page up shortly after his death, saying: “There are not enough words that could be used to express how perfect of a man he was. There is a huge hole in all of our lives that will never be filled.

“He was taken from us all far too young. You cannot even begin to imagine how distraught his parents and family are. No parent ever imagines that they would be burying their child.

Councillor Alex Buchanan, chairman of the committee, said: “We have a duty to protect public safety. There has been two deaths in less than two years. The most stringent measures in the city have been introduced at the club but only last month there was another death through drugs. The committee has no option but to revoke Rainbow club’s license.”

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The club’s owners are appealing the decision and have called the council’s decision “catastrophic” - warning it would cost jobs at several other businesses nearby.

The venue’s license was initially suspended after Michael’s death but in a statement issued after the permanent shutdown was announced, Rainbow said it could not prevent-drug related deaths, which it called a “global society issue”.

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The statement said: “We firmly believe our team took great care, time and passion to create a safe environment for people to enjoy our events.

“We had very robust policies that West Midlands Police have accepted are more stringent than any other licensed premises in the country.

“As operators, we can’t be false. The decision is wrong.

“We can’t pretend we agree, we can’t promise that drugs will not enter licensed premises; people go to extreme lengths to get drugs into venues, if they succeed over the border, prisons and even parliament, then they will find a way into a club.